Free-Thinking, 19th-Century Style

Francis Ellingwood Abbot (1836–1903) was nothing if not determined. In 1872, as editor of The Index, the nation’s leading free-thought magazine, he began to muster the full force of his small army of subscribers against what was being called “the God-in-the-Constitution amendment.” A philosopher and theologian, he sought to reconstruct theology in accordance with scientific methodology. From the...
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Into the Woodlands

Rarely does his name enjoy prominence in horticultural history, but William Hamilton (1745-1813), owner of The Woodlands, a picturesque eighteenth-century countryseat on the banks of the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia, made sev­eral significant contributions that forever changed the landscape of North America. An avid plant collector he filled his English-style garden with as many new...
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McKinney 1812 Medal at Erie Maritime Museum

An exceptionally rare medal – one of only thirty-nine believed to have been awarded to Pennsylvania Militiamen who served in the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813 – was recently donated to the Erie Maritime Museum by descendants of Private Samuel McKinney (1786-1871), who received it for his service onboard the Flagship Niagara. The medals, designed by Moritz Fuerst and...
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